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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-'Sheet 1.

T. W. GA'PEN. HOISTING APPARATUS.

No. 279,704. Patented June 19,1883.

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TUI WITNESSES y NVENTOR M .Tho www 7V. Cape/z N4 PETLRS. Fhum-ulbngwpmf. wnhingwn, D. C.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

T. W. GAPEN. HOISTING APPARATUS.

Patented June 19,1883.

WITNESSES WT@ a. LM

N4 PETERS. Plmmmhngmpmn washingnn. D. C.

PATENT FFICE' THOMAS w. cAPEN, OE sTAivIlEoE-n, OoNNEeTIeUT, ASSTGNOE TO THE YALE a TOwNEMANUEAOTUEme COMPANY, OE SAME rLAcE.

'HOISTINGAPPARATua SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 279,704, dated June 19, 1883.

i Application filed May 1 0, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern) 'A Be it known that I, THOMAS W. CAPEN', of Stamford, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain useful Improvements in VHoisting- Apparatus, ,of which the following is a specification, refer- The object of my invention is to produce a double-lift hoisting apparatus-that is, an apparatus whose lifting-chain is provided with a hook at each end, so that when a load has been lifted the other hook is lowered to receive another load.

AS shown in the drawings, my apparatus is designed ordinarily for the use of hand power, but it is not confined to this, and can easily be adapted to be run by steam or other power.

I provide my apparatus with a safety-brake, which acts upon the driving-wheel and normally holds it stationary and the load suspended at any point. The brake of this safety apparatus is, however, at once p thrown off so soon as power is applied to the hand or driving rope to operate the machine, but the brake is immediately applied again and the load held stationary as soon as the strain is removed from the driving-rope. rlhis is true whether the driving-rope 'is operated for hoisting or lowering. It is very often convenient to allow a load to rundown without any action on the part of the operator; but it is of course undesirable to allow the load to descend with a constantly-accelerated motion, as it would do under ordinary circumstances. Accordingly I provide an automatic governor So arranged in combination with the machine and the Safety-brake attachment that the brake can be thrown off and the load descend at a uniform speed under the action of the automatic governor. I therefore provide a machine which is a double lift, which will automatically sustain the load at any point7 and which will allow the load to safely run down at auniform speed under the action of a governor.

Figure l of the drawings represents an end elevation of my apparatus. Fig. 2 represents a bottom plan view of the same, omitting the chain-wheel, and Fig."3 represents a vertical section on the line 3'3- of Fig, 1. Figs. Land 5` represent details.

housing of the device. 1 the strap are secured to a crank-piece, K, the detail of which is Shown in Figs. 4t and 5. It

Describing the. apparatus in detail by referl ence to the letters on the drawings, A indicates cross-beams or any suitable supports for 1 the bearings B ofthe shaft C, to which latter tis fixed the hand-wheel or driving-wheel D,

p v sustaining the hand or driving rope E.

ence being had to the accompanying drawings.

l a liftingchain may pass in the usual way, which `F indicates a pocket chain-wheel, over which is' adapted tolift upon one side and lower upon the other, or vice versa, according to the direction in which shaft C is turned.

Referring to the governor mechanism, Gindicates a brake-strap, which is attached to the Q hand-wheel or drivin g-wheeh and when not in action travels freely around a iixed annular casting, H, which is a part of the frame or The opposite ends of consists of two plates, between which are loosely pivoted two pins, K and K". A. strap is pinned to one and adjustably secured to the other by means of a boltand nut. rlhe object of this is to cause equal strains on each end oi' l the brake-strap whenever the governor causes the crank to rotate, as it will do in whichever direction the wheel is turned, provided it turns with sufficient rapidity, which is the Aonly case where it is desirable for the governor to act,` The rock-shaft L of the crankpiece has a bearing in one of the armsof the driving-wheel.

Rigidly secured to the rock-Shaft isalever,

'M, having a weight, N, and this lever is connected to another 'similar weighted lever, O, by two rods, P. The spring Q iS connected adjustably to the l1 and-wh eel or drivin g-wheel and to the lever M, so that its tension can be regulated, and it is normally sufficient to counteract any slight lcentrifu gal force acting on the weights, due to rotary motion which is not rapid enough to be injurious. The weights N tend outward by centrifugal force, and when the velocity of rotation of the hand-wheel or driving-wheel is Sufficient will 4fly outward, and` they consequently pull on the spring Q, turn the cranky-piece K, wind up the brakestrap G, cause it to clasp tightly around the casting H, check the speed of rotation, and thus -the device acts automatically to safely IOO govern the descent of a heavy load set free to come down by [its own gravity. This governor mechanism, broadly, is, however, not of my invention, being shown in substance in United States Patent of Thomas A. Veston, No. 217,030. The device here shown, however, is an improvement upon that of Veston in some regards-namely, as both ends of the brake-strap are pulled in my device, the same leverage will cause greater friction. My device also acts equally well in whichever direction the wheel is turned, so that it is applicable to a double lift, whereas Vestons device only operates well when the wheel is turned in one direction. In connection with this governor mechanism I provide in the same hoisting apparatus a brake or stop mechanism, which, unlike the governor mechanism, normally acts automatically to stop the descent of a load and hold it at rest in any desired position of suspension. In this stop mechanism R indicates a lever, pivoted at S in the housing, and slotted or bifurcated at the outer end of its long arm to receive one part of the pull-rope E and an anti-friction pulley, U.

The opposite ends of a brake-strap, V, which encircles an annular flange, XV, projecting from the hand-wheel or driving-wheel, are secured to this wheel, as illustrated, and a weight, X, tends to lower the lever to the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. l, and to clasp the strap V tightly around the flange W, and stop and hold the hand-wheel or driving-wheel fast,so that no load can run down. It is not necessary to adhere to theform of a strap and a fiange or dat surface foritto encircle, although these are very good forms. A cable fitting in an annular groove would also be a good form of stop mechanism, and it would be practicable to use a lever, one end of which should be moved to cause the other to engage by friction and. actas a stop. I do not intend to limit my invention, therefore, in this or any other particular to the exact forms or details here illustrated.

The short arm of the lever Ris provided with a slot, Y, to receive and permit the proper play of a pin, Z, projecting from anotherlever, a, pivoted at l) in thehousing, thus forming an eXtensible-joint connection between the ends of the two levers. The lever a is slotted or bifurcated at its outer end to receive another anti-friction pulley, U, and the other part of the pull-rope E.

- It will be seen by this construction and arrangement of 'parts that the weight X normally acts not only to apply the strap V and stop the hoist and hold it fast, but also causes the two pendent parts of the driving-rope to be bent inward toward each other, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. l. Supposing the apparatus to be in that condition, it is obvious that a pull upon either part of the drivingrope will straighten it and bring the parts to the position shown in full lines, Fig. l, throw the stop mechanism out of operation and raise or lower a load, as the case may be. At the same time the governor mechanism is ready for automatic action, in case too great speed is attained, to graduate the motio If it be desired to rely on the governor mechanism altogether to regulate the action of gravity in lowering a load, then it is only necessary to pull upon a pendent cord, c, 'which I have connected to the short arm of the lever It, when the stop mechanism will be thrown out of action and the load will come down at moderate speed safely. If from any cause the governor should not act properly, then, by discontinuing the pull on the cord e, the stop mechanism would quickly act automatically to stop the rotation of the shaft and the descent of the load. It thus serves, in conjunction with the governor mechanism, as an eXtra safety attachment, so that with my double hoisting apparatus no accident is possible, or at least all ac-` cidents are securely guarded against by two simple automatic safety appliances, which make liability to accidents exceedingly slight and enable the apparatus to be worked safely by careless, ignorant, or unskillful persons, as wellas by the most expert.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. In a hoisting apparatus, the combination of an automatic governor mechanism and an automatic stop mechanism, substantially as set forth.

2. In a hoisting apparatus, the combination of a driving-wheel and a double-acting govwheel released whenever power is applied to said driving-rope to operate the apparatus, substantially as described.

5. In a hoisting apparatus, the combination of a driving-wheel and brake normally holding the wheel stationary under the action. of a weighted lever, wl1ich lever may be moved to release said brake either by means of the dri ving-rope or a separate device, substantially as described.

6. In a hoisting apparatus, the combination of a governor, a brake, a weighted lever, and a pull-cord or other device, so that by pulling the cord the brake may be thrown olf and the load descend under the action of the governor, and by releasing the cord the load will remain stationary at any point, substantially as described.

7 In combination with a governor-brake, a crank-piece, K, to which both ends ofthe brake are attached, substantially as described.

IIO

8. The combination, with a driving-Wheel ln testimony whereof I have hereunto suhand its driving-rope, of a lever, R, a lever, a, scribed my naine this 5th day of May, A. D. and a brake-strap or equivalent forstopping 1883.

and for preventing rotaly motion, substantially 5 as set forth.

9. The combination, with zt driving-Wheel and its driving-rope, of the pvoted levers R Witnesses: and a, provided with slots and anti-friction SCHUYLER MERRITT, pulleys, and a strap, V, encircling an annular GEO, E. WHITEi 1o flange, W, substantially as set forth.

THOS. W. CAPEN. 

